Combined doorknob and lighting device



Dec. 25,1934. J. w. CLARKE 1,985,483

COMBINED DOORKNOB AND LIGHTING DEVICE Filed Jan. 18, 1933 A TTOE/YEYPatented Dec. 25, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE Joseph W. Clarke,St. Louis, Mo.

Application January 18,

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to door-knobs, and more specifically toan improved door-knob which has associated therewith light-producingmeans for illuminating a key-hole located adjacent to said door-knob,the predominant object of the invention being to provide a door-knob ofthis description which, while of extremely simple construction andarrangement, will very efficiently perform the function for which it isintended.

It is well known that considerable annoyance and inconvenience isfrequently caused to persons attempting to unlock doors in darkness bythe inability of such persons to see the key-holes into which the keysmust be inserted to operate the locks of the doors. The device of thepresent invention is intended to eliminate such annoyance andinconvenience, and this object is realized by associating with adoor-knob a suitable lighting device. Preferably the lighting device islocated within the hollow interior of the door-knob and an actuatingelement is provided which projects slightly beyond the surface of thedoor-knob and which may be depressed, or otherwise moved, to cause thelighting device to function. The doorknob is provided with an aperturewhich is so located that light rays produced by the lighting devicewithin the door-knob pass therethrough and fall upon the adjacentkey-hole so as to illuminate said key-hole.

Fig. 1 is a perspective illustrating my improved door-knob as it willappear when in use.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows.

In the drawing, wherein is shown for the purpose of illustration,merely, one embodiment of the invention, A designates a door which isprovided with the usual escutcheon plate B. The escutcheon plateillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 includes the usual key-hole G into which aproper key must be inserted in order to actuate the locking mechanism(not shown) associated with the door A.

Extended through the escutcheon plate B is the usual stem D by which thecatch of the door is actuated, and fixed to said stem in the ordinarymanner is the improved door-knob K. In accordance with the particularembodiment of the invention shown in the drawing for the purpose ofillustrating said invention, the door-knob K is made in two parts 1 and2 (Fig. 2), the part 1 1933, Serial No. 652,295

being fixed to the stem D in any suitable manner and the part 2 beingassociated with said part 1 so as to provide a complete knob. Preferablythe parts 1 and 2 of the knob are provided with hollow interiors andsaid parts are screwed together, as indicated at 3 in Fig. 2, so as toproduce a complete lniob having an inner chamber 4 made up of the hollowinteriors of the two knob parts 1 and 2.

Arranged within the inner chamber 4 of the door-knob K is a disk 5formed of suitable electrical insulating material, said disk being ofsubstantially the same diameter as the diameter of the inner chamber 4and being secured in place by a screw 6, or other suitable fasteningdevice, which passes through an aperture formed through the disk andextends into an extension '1 formed on the knob part 2 within the innerchamber 4. Associated with the disk 5 is a socket element 3 whichreceives in the usual manner a small electric bulb 9. The socket element8 is disposed in cooperative relation with electrical contact elements10 which extend outwardly therefrom in opposite directions, the electricbulb being caused to contact electrically with said contact elements bybeing moved into contact therewith when it is moved into the socketelement 8 in a manner to cause the bulb to be a part of the circuit ofwhich the contact elements form parts.

Supported by the disk 5 is a pair of dry batteries 11 and 12 which serveas the source of electrical energy for actuating the electric bulb 9.Each of the dry batteries 11 and 12 is supported by a pair of brackets13 and 14 which are separate from each other, said brackets comprisingportions 13 and 14 which are arranged parallel with the adjacent face ofthe disk 5, and portions 13 and 14 which are extended at ap proximateright angles with respect to the portions 13 and 14: adjacent to theopposite ends of the dry batteries 11 and 12. Preferably certain of theportions 13 and 14 of the brackets are provided with depressions 15 intowhich extensions 16, located at the adjacent ends of the dry batteries,extend.

Extended through the disk 5 from the outer end portions of theelectrical contact element 10 are screws 1'? which are screwed intoscrewthreaded apertures formed in said contact elements and are providedwith head portions 17 which seat against the opposite face of said disk.Also the bracket elements 14 of the dry batteries 11 and 12 haveassociated with them similar screws 18 which are screwed intoscrew-threaded apertures formed in said bracket elements, are passedthrough openings formed through the disk 5, and have head portions 18'which are seated against the opposite face of the disk 5.

The screw 17 associated with one of the contact elements 10 iselectrically connected to the screw 18 associated with the bracketelement 14 of the dry battery 12 by an electrical conductor 19, and inlike manner the screw 17 associated with the other contact element 10 iselectrically connected to the screw 18 associated with the bracketelement 14 of the dry battery 11 by an electrical conductor 19'. Also, ametallic screw 20 which is screwed into the bracket element 13 of thedry battery 12 passes through an opening formed through the disk 5, andthe head portion 20' ofthis screw clamps in place on end portions of aresilient make-and-break contact element 21. The free end of themake-and-break contact element 21 is movable toward and from the headportion 22 of a screw 22 which passes through the disk 5 and is screwedinto a screw-threaded aperture formed in the bracket element 13 of thedry battery 11. The knob part 2 of the knob K is provided with anopening at its approximate center which supports a push button 23, theouter end portion of said push button being extended a slight distancebeyond the outer surface of the knob, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the operation of the improved device, the person who desires to lockor unlock a door equipped with the improved device will depress the pushbutton 23, whereby the free end of the resilient make-and-break contactelement 21 will be pressed into electrical contact with the head portion22' of the screw 22. This completes an electrical circuit which includesas elements thereof the contact elements 10, the screws 17, theconductors 19 and 19', the screws 18, the bracket elements 13 and 14,the batteries 11 and 12, the screws 20 and 22, and the make-and-breakresilient contact element 21, and because the elec tric light bulb 9 iselectrically connected in said circuit, said bulb will 1 e energized.When the electric bulb 9 is so energized by depressing the push button23, light rays from said bulb will pass through the aperture 24 formedthrough the wall of the knob portion 1 so that saidlight rays will fallupon the key-hole C in a manner to illuminate same. When the pressure isremoved from the push button, the resilience of the makeand-breakcontact element will cause the free end thereof to move away from thehead portion 22' of the screw 22, whereby the electric circuit leadingto the bulb will be broken and said bulb will cease to function.

I claim:

1. A door-knob provided with a hollow interior, light-producing meanslocated within the hollow interior of said door-knob, saidlight-producing means including an electric light bulb and a batteryproviding a source of electrical energy for energizing same, asupporting element in the form of a vertically disposed plate securedwithin the hollow interior of the door-knob to which said electric lightbulb and said battery are secured, the wall portion of said doorknobbeing provided with an aperture through which rays of light may passfrom said light-producing means for the purpose of illuminating anadjacent keyhole, and means including a push button operable from theexterior of said door-knob for actuating said" light-producing means.

2. A door-knob provided with a hollow interior, light-producing meanslocatedwithin the hollow interior of said doorknob, said light-producingmeans including an electric light bulb and a source of electrical energyfor energizing same, a

supporting element in the form of a vertically disposedplate securedwithin the hollow interior of the door-knob to which said electric lightbulb and saidbattery are secured, the wall portion of said door-knobbeing provided with an aperture through which rays of light may passfrom said light-producing means for the purpose of illuminating anadjacent key-hole, and means operable from the exterior of saiddoor-knob for actuating said light-producing means, the lastmentionedmeans including a push button and a make-and-break contact elementoperable there'- by to make and break an electrical circuit leadingtosaid electric light bulb.

JOSEPH W. CLARKE.

